Interview with Metallica's FoH legend Big Mick Hughes • WorldWired Tour

[@ronnieparfait]

Mick’s voice sounds awesome, his beard makes the ultimate pop filter.

[@galihgori]

Natural pop filter is the best.

[@TIGERGUTS]

Big Mick is the 5th member. He is such a legend.

[@RikTRFC]

Big Mick came to a Performing Arts college where I worked last year and spoke to the Sound Engineers students for 4 hours! I understood about 10% but loved every minute of it!

[@dreammix9430]

I sure wish I could have been there I can't imagine how much I would have learned

[@WhichBass]

Always love Big Mick! Oldschool engineers are always the most interesting and charismatic.

[@BrianEsselbrugge]

Yeah, sweet guy, but Metallica sounded terrible the last time I've seen them (Amsterdam, September 2017)

[@bpabustan]

And most old school guys knows what it's all about because they lived it!

[@codygranrud6212]

Which Bass... are you everywhere? Lol... I agree completely. Mick is a very interesting character.

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

I'm impressed how his accent is still so pronounced after decades of working with Americans (probably).

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

I have to agree they just don't sound good. And I'm not on any bandwagon or copying what others say, it's just harsh-sounding undefined noise. - I think it's partially to blame to the source, being their amplifiers and other electronics (their pickups, I think, make things worse than the good old standard EMGs they used to use). On top of that using solid state technology (with the excuse that it's easier, even though there are probably fat paychecks), which can work well, but they're not using it well. - And then the mix is just... problematic to say the least. - I'm afraid guys like Mick are just going deaf and they can't even judge the higher frequencies properly anymore. - Why else do MetallicA's guitars sound like they're going through Line 6 Spiders?

[@Seanalbertt]

Man for a guy that’s been doing it for years, he seems to welcome change with open arms. Most guys his age doing this seem to hold on to their Marshall JCM’s til the day they die, but he seems to take the thing that makes more sense now.

[@SheaRecordmetal]

That is pretty cool. I feel the same way about them like he said. “I wanted to hate them” , but so many big bands switch for ease of use and stability. I still kinda hate them 😁 but also understand there utility .

[@Aeronaut1975]

I could listen to him talk shop for hours.

[@SirStinkalot25]

I have no idea what this guy is talking about ..... yet I can't look away!

[@Complicaadd0rock]

haha I feel ya

[@tinman5322]

Finally we know what Santa does on the other 364 nights of the year!

[@dreammix9430]

Wow that was a freaking amazing interview! Thank you so much to everybody who put that together and to Big Mick!

[@tsargoyle]

Great interview with an industry legend. Humble as they come too. I'd love to know how he's managed to keep his hearing intact over the years of doing stupidly loud shows!

[@peterhunt7591]

I had the pleasure as a young trainee sound engineer eating a dodgy takeaway with Mick in Buckley, North Wales whilst doing a gig with him with one of his young bands he was looking after whilst on break from Metallica's busy touring schedule. Absolute legend - wish I had spent more time with him as his knowledge was absolutely boundless. Great memory, great to see this video takes me back!

[@PattycakeStudios]

What a down-to-Earth guy. Great wisdom, experience, and personality. Seems a joy to work with.

[@shardug]

I remember several concerts we did that the stage volume was between 105 and 115db. Eventually went to ear bud system to save my hearing.

[@TaintedMango]

I had the immense privilege of meeting him and watching him do his magic from FoH last July at the Montreal show. Such a stand up guy!!

[@evankeal]

One of my favorite music related videos of all time. The whole MixHalo thing is blowing my mind. I can see a next evolution mixing in-ear with natural sound and even enhance it using all the data they capture in show set up and assign wifi receivers to specific sections of the venue.

[@ArtGuitarLTX]

That "speaker-less ear bud setup" he mentioned is just wild... imagine that. Nothing will beat loud sound vibrations hitting your chest. But who knows what technology will bring. Really enjoyed this video. I've never heard of this guy but man does he have some great info on audio sound!

[@jen3800]

first time meeting the man, and not a fan of the band. i came here seeking insight from an engineer's perspective and I got more than enough. great guy. loads of experience and wisdom to impart. thanks !

[@gamjammer]

20:31 "Gone are the days where you could just go and randomly crush people however you feel fit unless you're in South America or places off the beaten path......those are the only places where you're going to be able to put the stick to it." Fucking love this dude!

[@spike007980]

I swear, i'd give this man a dinner and drinks and he'd keep the conversation going til the mere hours of 2am or something weird, and NO one would bored!

[@Locoandchooch]

Big Mick, always great interviews, been with Metallica since RTL. \m/

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

10:36 LOL I thought when he said, "Ah, what's the other one called?" I thought he was referring to Kirk. Lmao. Like he was saying, "James and ... who's that other guy again?" lol

[@andreasmansson4378]

Haha! Me too!

[@Perrythedrummer]

I love how safety is effecting them too. I’m a Tradesmen and the safety programs are a complete runaway. Makes me laugh knowing the have sound police.

[@rapragermusic]

In the burning heat of Australia they have banned shorts and short sleeves on all work sites because idiots.

[@wkelly-hn4kb]

My bro was thrilled to meet Big Mick more than once and hang at the deck during shows.

[@caidema]

Idk about the earbuds. The great part about a live show is physically feeling the bass rumble your body

[@Jasonweckard]

Shouts to the dude just smoking a cig in the background.

[@soundpro707]

People that say they can tell the difference (in a large venue setting) between a modeled guitar rig and the real thing are the same people that supposedly hear a difference with Monster Cable.

[@keggers101]

Don't forget Big Mick has heard every Metallica gig for the last 30 odd years......he'll know if it sounds right

[@TimmyP1955]

Monster does sound different - usually not as good as brand X.

[@harryalvarez2003]

I always liked my Monster Rock cables. Solid for live shows and still using it. But I'm having problems when working at home recording. It's so difficult for me to tune the instruments and to get a good tone. Anybody?

[@coreyt7463]

Monster cable is a complete joke!! I'm a live and studio sound engineer - and the guage of speaker cable used to track and mix and master any project is 14 guage. On a home stereo system have a look at A. the size of the wire INSIDE your speaker cabinet going from the jacks on the back to crossover and from the crossover to the speakers.....!! and B. Look inside your amp and notice the size of the internal wiring going to the speaker binding posts on the back of the amp....

[@duroxkilo]

@@coreyt7463 not only that, but the in/out impedance on the low voltage devices is in kilo ohms.. a 0.5 ohms 6tf monster cable plugged in a 20kohms load can't possible change anything compared to a 2ohms 6ft diy cable.

[@EmanueleCorreani]

Clearly is not Lars Ulrich playing drums in the background

[@queticomoe4495]

Mick IS Metallica's 5th member!

[@metallicaman5150]

I actually met this guy in the airport security line a day after the Metallica show I went to. Guy was super nice! I enjoyed chatting with him.

[@posaunix]

Sadly the concept did not work out in Hamburg concerning the higher seats. But interesting to hear about all these thoughts.

[@mikepreamp6053]

hopefully we won't end up listening to concerts with earbuds...

[@keluke5299]

mike preamp Yeah would definitly not like that... That gives really away the spirit of live concerts :-/

[@Babs42]

Don't worry gov't is just trying to protect you ;).

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

Actually, even though I'm all for big sounding live shows and shit, I've imagined people having personal hearing-systems much like the artists have in-ear monitors. The reason why is because concerts (at least ones like these) just fuck your hearing. There's no debate there. I've rarely enjoyed concerts sound-wise, even though I've been to plenty, I've actually stopped going to them because sound is overblown for the human hearing, the lows drown everything out, even though the mids and highs are still there to ear-rape you. There's no definition and it's more tiresome than energizing.) - Perhaps it's an arena-equivalent of being stuck into a small room with a band (like they did when starting out), but good and enjoyable?... No. - So, I think the answer is either... first of all, just managing loudness and equalizing more properly without literally damaging humans permanently (which is a health-concern), if not people will probably have some sort of personalized in-ear-systems to just wirelessly connect to. Even though it might "take away" from something. - Then they could still blast the P.A. for the feel, as even artists who use in-ears have live speakers to "feel" the sound (and who knows some leakage if it's loud enough), but to get a better and safer sound it might go that way. I foresee a lot more technological interactivity in the future of concerts anyway. (Edit: I hadn't watched yet, but it seems they're already well on their way of what I've been thinking for over a decade. Not quite what I meant, but similar. Wow, they're basically talking about the same thing... They hacked my mind! XD)

[@Nghilifa]

God damn it Michael, THAT´s EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING!! Seriously!! Just before I came to the personalized in-ear part of your post, that´s EXACTLY what crossed my mind! Scary shit I tell ya! It´d be a great idea though, people could choose to get custom ear-molds, or just use standard ones, tune their radio-pack to whatever frequency required to receive the mix, and then listen to the show. Then perhaps, the radio-pack could communicate with your phone or something, via bluetooth, so that you could adjust the mix (highs/mids/lows) , or even adjust what mix you´re listening to (since each member of the band has an individual mix that they are listening to) .

[@babayaga1767]

why not? we already watch them through our phones. (sarcasm)

[@greenfly1264]

Know him from way back in Birmingham in the GBH days. Top man .

[@patrickquinn9405]

Would love to read a book about this guy's life!

[@thegreenguy8837]

I like his way of explaining things. I guess you could learn a lot from that guy.

[@TomBombadil7]

Fantastic! Thanks for this.

[@RockmannMusic]

Interesting interview, thanks ! Btw, it's not only the Barclay Concert hall that is sheit in Hamburg. The whole City is just crap. Kind of pretty from the outside but through and through rotten from the inside

[@Hexspa]

Saw them for the Load tour. Huge sound.

[@whatyoumakeofit6635]

I went to a metallica show in chicago on the s&m tour. Hands down the best sounding show ive ever heared in any type of music

[@hdaaap]

hes been there since 84

[@stusmithmmm]

We knew Mick as "Zoomie" when we were kids growing up in West Brom. He had a Z1300 huge bike. He was always polite and friendly.

[@shockcityrocker]

I’d be so worried about playing an out of date venue that can’t handle the weight & 1 of those cubes falling on someone 😬

[@Nooneofconsequence47]

100 dba?! Dang man. That's quiet.

[@FrankTheTankA1]

Eh, not really. I mean, I'd say most rock/metal go from 100-110. When I saw Megadeth they were sitting around 100 as well. One of the best sound concerts as well.

[@ZadieBear]

Not really. Saw PCD with The Black Eyed Peas back in 2006. The venue had a max of 90....they engineers would push that, then back it down.

[@andyemmer]

sehr entspannt und sympathisch, der herr kollege

[@bernardbarnes9920]

I could listen to mick forever, he a wizard and a mine of information!

[@danielelise7348]

The day there's no speakers & subs is the day I stop going to concerts.😔

[@tepetti]

I’ve always wondered what Santa Claus does when it’s not Christmas

[@NobesBLO13]

Love the guy taking a smoke break in the background

[@jullers78]

Met him in Dublin in 96. Such a nice guy👍

[@michaelmorrissey765]

At the last Metallica concert in Minneapolis none of us in our section could hear Kirk or James guitars. 90% of what would could hear was Roberts bass and Lars’ double bass drums. The other 10% was drowned out vocals. My wife and I left our seats, went maybe four sections over and stood in the isle, perfect sound. Felt bad for the fans that didn’t move. I love heavy bass, but not to the exclusion of all else.

[@posaunix]

this is, how large concerts sound most of the time... cause some people want to feel bass vibrations... better you have too less bass in the way of mixing, but still understand the music. but the sound-crews won't hear me...

[@SheaRecordmetal]

That’s crazy. I was on the floor for that show and it was one of the best sounding shows i’ve ever been too. And i’ve been to a lot. Closed stadium too🤘🏼 I guess being in the seats that far away would have an effect on the sound. I never really thought of that. I won’t go to a show if i have to sit down. So i always hear em from the floor.

[@jd0879]

@@SheaRecordmetalThe floor will always have a better sound because that’s where the mixing board is. If you’re at the mixing board that’s where the sound will be at its optimal level

[@Heavygusto]

I'm from further north than him but I still love the way he says "explosions"

[@clausm2203]

Great interview with mick..:)

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

haha Messing with the frontman of the band through subs underneath the stage. XD - And that after decades of experience. - There will always be technical challenges.

[@derekrushe]

It always amazes me that even a show at this level that audio is sacrificed for the shiny shiny.

[@christianmartinez1]

YES ANOTHER ONE

[@zakcook2271]

23:57 you spelt Metallica wrong, nice one

[@RyanHannaMusic]

i think we are the only ones to notice lol

[@rockysobon9537]

Spelled*

[@liamtwentyman7275]

@@RyanHannaMusic make it three.

[@Kleyver]

Loved this video!!

[@MB-oc1nw]

Guy looks like a dwarf from Lord Of The Rings.

[@freshdynamic]

Yes, or like Dumbledore from Harry Potter

[@junioalvescorrea9914]

This man is one of the best's in your job.

[@Tripple-L432]

sat on the board a couple times on the black album back in the day,they were using db sound out of chicago.I don`t remember the system but i do remember 118 decibels.loud n clear. Eddie Kercher was siiting at the board. old school guys know.Time tested

[@ricardovasquezchavez9267]

He's the real secret of Metallica success

[@SuperPsychoterror]

I've been to so many small venue shows where the show is just ruined by bad sound people. I just saw Puddle of Mudd a few days ago and all the opening acts sounded amazing and then Puddle takes the stage and some genius decides to punch up the bass and guitars. I was 10 feet from the stage and it was hurting my ears THROUGH EAR PLUGS!! Lol we moved away from the stage and there was a mass exodus for the door. Felt bad for the band because those sound guys fucked it up.

[@coreyt7463]

You are an idiot. The SPL that's required to deliver a clean 98dB at 80 - 120 feet from the speaker array (to the majority of seats) is higher than 138dB one meter from the array. If they mixed so it sounded a clean 98Db at 10 feet it would be down to the SPL of a fluffy chipmunk fart (65Db) in the majority of the seating area... (hiccups would be louder than the band)

[@MrBonger88]

What a cool guy. So much knowledge

[@ShockwaveZero]

For the vibrating floor why not just add another layer of stage floor/ metal grate as buffer to eliminate vibration and keep the subs

[@SalParadise]

great vid, great guy

[@weareallbeingwatched4602]

AES out of the modeller and straight into the mixer is a great idea.

[@IswanjanaHariAdi]

i am still curious about how to panning the speaker with that round (square) stage

[@Seanalbertt]

Iswanjana Hari Adi pseudo stereo, so each 2 hangs of speakers are a stereo pair, but he doesn’t pan things hard left right because then he’d have most of the concert goers getting one side of the stereo image.

[@jimmysmickles7598]

I love this man

[@2255223388]

HOW DO I INTERN FOR THIS GUY?!!!

[@seinfeld11123]

20:57. Very interesting. I can see it going that way too. and it would be super awesome for multi stage festivals. so you don't get bands playing over each other etc. sounds very good. and as he said add some subs and it would be awesome

[@wado1942]

They eliminated 1/2 a truckload by not having amps. Does that really make a difference when you have 6-7 other truckloads?

[@FrankTheTankA1]

could be 30-60 minutes cut out fairly easily depending on how they stack things. Not a whole lot but gives extra time.

[@conorm2524]

@@FrankTheTankA1 It's more about money. Production managers constantly trying to save save save.

[@Khammett1962]

That half truck load could be millions used in a tour. Definitely makes a difference.

[@cajunfid]

Its not even so much the truckload. It's also the reliability factor when you consider what they replaced all of the tube/valve amps with. Tube amps in this sort of touring environment basically need their own full time tech to keep them in top working condition because of how hard they're usually driven and need components replaced/repaired.

[@paulbruce4630]

Plus he keeps it at 96Db. Don't loke the band but he can mix. Nice guy.

[@DanielVegter]

What an awesome guy

[@chiptrippyfox6106]

Dude walks into shot just long enough to put a bong down and was like "Oh shit" 8:47

[@rawwbnoles4787]

That was a two-way radio.

[@chiptrippyfox6106]

@@rawwbnoles4787 Well darn, I guess you're right.. Would have been funnier if it were a bong due to his hasty appearance to get out of the shot haha

[@VegasYouTuberSteve]

A mega-watt? That's a million watts..😮

[@markk9184]

Interesting as all hell!

[@endlessgaming2603]

I like listening to this guy.

[@TheFROG338]

would like to contact mick, knew him back in the day... anyone know best way ?

[@Wizardley]

I like this guy, ..........Bill Graham was always trying to keep the volume reasonable to no avail usually.....Quality over volume I say

[@CatDieselPwr]

Seems like a really cool guy. I could see him going all "Peter Grant" when sh*t goes sideways though :P

[@BUPETA3351]

Love him!

[@ozzfest78]

what do you have for mixer there?

[@tgrules565]

So basically they're compromising on sound quality due to the weight of the lights. In the round shows tend to sound pretty terrible anyway. Would rather have a better sounding show than a few pretty lights. Metallica are lucky in that Mick can adapt very well to his changing surroundings.

[@michaelastockbauer672]

Watched a few Metallica in the round shows, and also "normal" Metallica Shows. The in the round shows didn't sound worse than the normal ones! Munich Show had a fantastic sound! And if you would have seen this show live - you would know why "they are compromising"- because it's phenomenal and they have Big Mick who makes the sound great anyway.

[@MrArcherRanger]

They're not compromising on sound quality at all, simply on speaker positioning. With the setup as it is described in this video, sound quality to the individual listener at various different points of the arena would be arguably better than it would be with a more conventional setup. The reasoning for this is coverage. In the setup described in the video, they basically have two individual speaker hangs for each section of the arena, one which covers the floor and one to cover the seating/bowl area. Assuming Mick has his floor hangs and his bowl hangs setup as two different matrix's on his console, he can have full control over every individual area of the arena, therefore increasing the overall sound quality in each position. Not to mention the fill and delay hangs which are not mentioned in the video but are most definitely there.

[@coreyt7463]

What on earth are you talking about...??

[@conorm2524]

@@MrArcherRanger He did mention fills and delay hangs. He also mentioned they had to compromise the TM array and the subs on the ground because James was complaining. Listen to the video again. They definitely weren't given free reign in the PA department. Which is a shame.

[@OliverHeuschele]

Fractal for guitar sound??? I thought James and Kirk are using Kemper at live situation!?!

[@Khazandar]

Nope, Fractal.

[@Dimiguitar]

They've been using fractal for quite a while now, not a word about kemper.

[@michaelastockbauer672]

Metallica Never ever used Kemper!

[@gergonikk]

It's been pretty well documented in their gear rundowns that they've been using Fractals for years now. Never ever used Kemper as far as I know.

[@robschannel4512]

A mega watt, is pushing some serious power.

[@greyanaroth]

Ah a true master. Where the fancy schmancy is like meat and potatoes. Fucking amazing. Must be nice to have meyersound at your immediate service all the time with a team of kickass system engineers and a monster rigging team. Equally, I think if you handed big mick a shitty Mackie console with some basic club speakers and generic mics, it would still sound the same.

[@ReverendHogwash]

If they lifted the floor, what long term damage do they do to the roof structure? Also, how well are those video monitors visible from more than 10-15 feet?

[@michaelastockbauer672]

They are Even visible 50 feet away...

[@cobaingrohlnovo]

They lifted the floor of the stage that they set up not the actual floor of the building and those monitors are a good size if you see them in person so you can see them pretty far back

[@JEKAZOL]

That made fuck all sense.

[@Giofergom]

*post 90/00 bands talk about how great axe fx/kemper are* "Holy shit this sucks, tubes are live, fuck this shit" *Metallica switchs to modelling* "Oh my gawd the future is here, this is brilliant"

[@posaunix]

no modeling... it's profiling. and it is brilliant. i am SURE you'll never hear the difference...

[@TheMaJuTaJu]

Na wo ist Wanda schon wieder hin? 😀

[@EventElevator]

Nächste Woche... Vielleicht...

[@robschannel4512]

Yes Tin man, its good to know Santa has a regular job, if you call that regular.

[@andym7333]

did he say he uses no compression on vocal track ??

[@michellefoster1020]

It’s called the silent disco or the silent event

[@cdnpunk2270]

The fuck, was this thing filmed with a vhs video camera?

[@CliffMcLarnon]

Greatness!🤟

[@TheOptimistCynic]

Irish is he? As a non-native English speaker who does not live in an English speaking country, if I placed the origin of his accent correctly ... it would be a big deal for me :)

[@paulhealy2557]

English, Birmingham

[@alaskaaudioguy35]

Why are their still subs on the floor on the coners far away from the stage

[@conorm2524]

For special effects/pyro explosions (like the start of One)

[@protoolsfanatic7276]

fractal? really? im a old fashioned amp guy..nothing beats the real amp sound but i suppose a solid state guitar sim is much easier to mess with with how much they tour.

[@KranksterOnMaui]

He really likes the Fractal.........

[@markbortnovsky9134]

Is Mick using a Midas Prox console? I can't tell.

[@CatDieselPwr]

XL8, they kinda zoom in on it where he says it's like an XL4 but digital.

[@andymahasongkham9423]

XL8 and maybe XL10

[@pappachook]

Super interesting though I didn't understand about half of it. 😁

[@tsr6220]

legend